About Reading to Kids

Last updated May 17, 2013

"The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children." - Nat'l Commission on Reading, 1985

Reading to Kids is listed on GuideStar, the online standard for nonprofit accountability. Please click on the logo for additional information.

Reading to Kids is a grassroots organization dedicated to inspiring underserved children with a love of reading, thereby enriching their lives and opportunities for success in the future.  To this end, Reading to Kids gathers on average 810 children and 342 volunteers at reading clubs on the second Saturday of every month at seven Los Angeles elementary schools.

At the monthly reading clubs, pairs of volunteers read aloud to small groups of children, while their parents receive training on how to encourage their children to read at home.  Kids, parents, teachers, and school libraries receive book donations at the end of the reading clubs.  These are important donations, as 60 percent of low-income homes do not have age-appropriate reading materials for children.

Since its inception in 1999, Reading to Kids has given more than 1115,401 prize books to children who attend the reading clubs, donated more than 20,955 hardcover books to school libraries, and our volunteers have spent over 134,631 hours reading to kids.  Click here to see our entry on Wikipedia. 

Reading to Kids is incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the state of California and has been classified as an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the federal Internal Revenue Code. The organization is exempt from both state and federal taxes; our tax ID number is 95-4758698.  

Click on the links for additional information about Reading to Kids:
  • Reading to Kids Financial Statements (2011-2012)
  • Reading to Kids Federal Tax Return (2011 Form 990)

The links are in Adobe® Portable Document Format (PDF) and will open in a new window when you click on them.  To download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader®, click here.